The Secrets Within
by GoldSiren
Summary: To destroy Voldemort, Harry is going to need more power and help from his friends. But gaining these extra powers isn’t going to be easy and how does he react when he learns he really doesn’t know that much of his history at all? Please review!
1. Prologue: The Letter

Chapter: Prologue

Author: Inntoxilamoon

Rating: Umm… M? Maybe MA later...

Spoilers: All up to and including Order of Phoenix

Pairings: Will be up later… as for at this moment I haven't decided…

Chapter Summary: A lot of things have happened since fifth year and Harry begins the year with a new determination, new friends and a new surprise.

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter- Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling as does the Harry Potter characters. But I own my characters! Any lyrics used are not mine unless specified; the performing artist will be noted at the end of the chapter the lyrics are used in. Please don't sue.

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_**The Secrets Within**_

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_The Letter_

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Beginning his sixth year at Hogwarts, Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, couldn't help but think of his future, of the fight he was destined to fight against Voldemort. Fortunately, thinking of his future only served to make him focus even more on becoming a better wizard, bringing him closer to his friends Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy but distancing him from Ronald Weasley, who didn't seem to understand the gravity of the situation.

During the summer holidays there had been another breakout at Azkaban, this time releasing Draco's Death Eater father, Lucius Malfoy, who decided that it was time for Draco to receive the Dark Mark. Refusing the Mark had been a very painful but satisfying thing for Draco, who was beaten severely and left to die by Lucius- thankfully for Draco, his mother was sick of Lucius and the 'Dark Lord', leaving her husband and taking her injured son to Severus Snape, his godfather, for protection. Now, with Draco's decision to join the side of the light, Harry and he had become friends and Narcissa had moved into one of the spare rooms in Hogwarts, substituting for teachers when they were unable to take their class.

Lupin had come back to teach this year as well, once again taking the Defence Against The Dark Arts position as it was best to have an Order member where they could easily help. Tonks had also come to Hogwarts leading the optional Duelling Classes with Moody. Snape still taught Potions, but didn't seem to be as bad this year- getting caught as a spy meant that he didn't have to fake his allegiance to the Dark Lord although Ron didn't care if he seemed to be better this year, he was just happy to have dropped Potions.

Taking his seat in the Potions Lab seconds before the dramatic entrance of Professor Snape, Harry grins after noticing that Draco had chosen to sit with him, as had Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott and Daphne Greengrass who hade all defected to the light side after refusing the Mark. Snapping to attention at the sound of Snape's order to 'get started' Harry reads the instructions off of the board before beginning to make his potion; Snape billows past, looking into each cauldron in his row before stopping in front of Harry's.

Looking up at Snape, expecting a snide remark about how stupid he was, Harry is surprised when the only response Snape gives is, "You need more powdered blood-root," before walking over to Pansy Parkinson's cauldron and yelling at her for adding the dragon's scales before the arrowroot.

With a successful potion made, Harry leaves potions in a very good mood, heading for the lake with Hermione, Draco and Blaise as Theo and Daphne sneak off to spend some time together. Reaching the lake before Ron, the four sit together quietly for awhile before Draco turns to face Harry, "Are you playing Quidditch this year?"

"No," Harry answers, "I'm going to focus more on my studies and I think I might request some extra lessons with Voldemort and all…"

A smile flickers across Hermione's face, "Oh, Harry! That's a wonderful idea! Maybe all of us should request the lessons together- after all, it's not like you're going to have to face Voldemort on your own now! We'll all be there to help!"

"Sounds good to me." Blaise responds as Draco nods in agreement.

Taking a moment to think about it, Harry finally nods- knowing that there is nothing he can do to dissuade his friends from doing this for him, "Alright. I suppose I'd better discuss it with Dumbledore tonight after dinner. You guys gonna come?"

At that moment, Ron appears, taking his seat with the group and asking, "Go where?"

"Dumbledore's office," Hermione answers with a smile, "We're going to request extra lessons so that we're better prepared for an attack by Voldemort!" Looking at Harry like he's gone mad, Ron opens his mouth to speak but no words come out.

A smirk crosses Draco's face, "Silence? With Weasley around? I'm amazed!" Thumping Draco on the back of the head, Harry can't help but laugh at the indignant look he gets as Draco vainly fixes his hair.

"Extra lessons?" Ron finally asks and Harry nods, "But… what about Quidditch?"

Looking away, Harry shrugs noncommittally, "I really don't have time for it anymore. I have to be ready just in case and well… Quidditch just isn't that important…"

Turning red, Ron gapes at Harry for a few minutes before responding, "Not that important! Come on, mate! Quidditch is everything to you! Screw the bloody lessons; you can't spend all of your time 'preparing'!"

"Really, Ronald," Hermione snaps, "Don't be so ridiculous! The extra lessons are much more important than Quidditch!"

Glaring at Hermione, Ron stands up angrily, "That's rich coming from the bookworm; what do you know about anything except study?" Storming off before Hermione answers, Ron walks into the castle and away from the group sitting by the lake.

"That went well," Blaise drawls with a smirk as he stands up, "Better get to dinner."

Standing as well, Harry looks at Hermione, confused. "Don't worry, Harry," she says as she stands, "Ron will get over it. He just needs to realise how serious this all is and that we really do need to prepare more; just give him some time and he'll come round."

Nodding silently in agreement, Harry accepts Hermione's friendly hug with a smile before Draco, Blaise, Hermione and he heads into the Great Hall, sitting at Gryffindor table despite the glares of the other Gryffindors and Ron. Within moments Daphne and Theodore join the group, looking slightly flushed.

"Have fun studying?" Draco drawls as he looks Theo and Daphne up and down; Daphne blushes and looks away as Theo meets Draco's silvery eyes calmly,

"Very much so, Dray, maybe you should find a study partner and try it some time?"

"I may do that," Draco answers agreeably, "Blaise, you free to study tomorrow?"

Choking on his pumpkin juice, Blaise looks up at Draco, eyes wide in shock, "What?" He asks before shaking his head, "Dray, I like you and all but… I do not swing that way…" Blaise responds as Harry and Hermione laugh.

"Oh," Draco nods as if truly upset, "Okay then…" Looking up Draco sighs before turning to Harry, "What about you, Harry? Wanna be my fuc… Study partner?" Calmly staring Harry up and down, Draco smirks when he turns a deep crimson and begins to fidget nervously, "Come on, Harry…" He cajoles, "I know you do swing that way…"

Laughing, Hermione pats Harry on the back sympathetically. At the beginning of the year Harry had admitted to his friends that he was gay, well… he had told most of his friends… Ron didn't know yet, he hadn't been very comfortable with homosexuality the last time it had come up in conversation and had been really angry with the twins when they told him that they were both gay and so was Charlie…

"Come on, Harry, "Draco murmured conspiratorially, "It could be fun…"

"I don't think so, Dray, maybe if you ask nicely Daph will let you borrow Theo for the night?" With a snort of laughter, Blaise stares up at Harry in shock,

"I never expected Harry to say that!"

Laughing the group settles down to eat when a letter suddenly appears next to Harry's elbow on the table, looking down at the letter Harry cautiously picks it up and turns it over to find out who sent it. The seal of the letter shows the four animals of the Hogwarts founders, although it is most definitely not the Hogwarts seal. The Ravenclaw eagle soars over the heads of the Hufflepuff badger and Gryffindor lion as they rest under the shade of a tree from which hangs the Slytherin snake. The tree, obviously a rare wizarding plant called the moon-jasmine, as it only blossoms at night features the tiny white blossoms and purple foliage contrast with the green and silver of the snake, the red and gold of the lion, the yellow and black of the badger and the blue and bronze of the eagle. Tiny stars seem to glitter alongside the silvery moon and, as the six students watch, the picture on the seal seems to move.

"Oh my gods!" Daphne exclaims as she stares down at the seal, "Do you realise what that seal is?"

Shaking his head silently, Harry looks at Hermione who seems to be as stunned as he is. "What is it?" Harry asks quietly as Draco gently takes the letter from him.

"Harry, this is the founder's seal…" Draco murmurs and Blaise stares at the seal, his blue eyes glinting in shock.

"It was lost when Salazar left the school… or that's what the rumours say… they say that it was hidden… only accessible to an heir of all four founders…" Blaise trails off, his blue eyes staring at the seal as the snake slithers across to the end of the branch and the eagle lands next to it.

"But that's impossible. Voldemort is Slytherin's only heir and he'd be telling everyone if all four founders were in his bloodline…" Harry murmurs, glancing up just in time to see Snape walking over to them.

"Should we tell Professor Snape?" Daphne asks nervously, "He might be able to help us and I wouldn't trust Dumbledore not to nick off with it…"

Nodding silently, Harry waits for Snape to reach the table before looking up at him once more, "Professor Snape?" He asks as Snape glares down at the huddled up group.

"Planning something are we?" Snape asks with a sneer before noticing the letter in Harry's hand

"No, sir." Draco responds quietly, "This letter just appeared on the table next to Harry… it had the founder's seal." Eyes widening, Snape glances at the seal before motioning for the group to stand.

"I assume that you want me to check that it's safe before you open the letter?" He asks and, at their nods, he turns to stalk towards the doors of the Great Hall, "Come along then." He snaps impatiently and the six students quickly follow him to the Potions class that they had earlier had a lesson in.

Placing powerful locking and silencing charms over the door, Snape takes the letter from Harry and places it on his desk, "I'd advise you all to stand back," he drawls, "unless you all want to risk the possibility of being blown apart should this be some kind of trick?"

"No, sir." They all respond quickly as they step away from the mysterious letter, casting the spell wandlessly (something that the students had only just learnt he could do) the letters glows a bright blue for a second before turning white and then fading.

Walking over to the desk, Snape picks up the letter and hands it to Harry once more, "It's safe, Potter. Now hurry up and open it."

With a nervous laugh, Harry turns the envelope over, breaks the seal and reads the first page quickly. Gasping quietly, he turns the page and stares at it for a few seconds; the others, now even more curious as to the letters contents, watch him avidly. Finally turning over the last page, Harry looks up at his friends and Professor before murmuring, "I can't believe this," and handing the letter to Hermione.

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**Author's Note:** Okay readers, through out the story I'm gonna try to let you all have your say in what direction the story goes by asking questions with a few different options to choose from. Here's the first one!

Favourite name:

Khalida (means: immortal)

Octavia (means: eighth)

Nicolette (means: people's victory)

Which one do I pick? Answers will be counted… soon… hopefully… argh! As long as school doesn't interfere hopefully thenext chapter will be up by the end of the week and then thenext chapter (I'll probably need the name then) not long after… As long as my kitten doesn't interfere after I pick her up on Friday…


	2. Chapter One: Deceit

Chapter One: Deceit

Author: Inntoxilamoon

Chapter Summary: With the contents of the letter come many consequences for our dear Headmaster as Harry takes control of his life.

Disclaimer: See previous chapter.

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_**The Secrets Within

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_Deceit

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Hermione reads over the letter silently before glancing up at Harry, shock written all over her fine features, "Oh, Harry… I don't know what to say! Are you sure that this person can be trusted? Merlin knows who sent this!"

Shrugging resignedly, Harry drops into the seat behind his potions desk with a soft sigh, "I don't know, 'Mione. Those seem to be the official Gringotts papers… Official seal and all… That makes be believe they're true, but so does the fact that all I have to do is request to see those documents and I'll be shown the official ones and given a copy…"

Glancing over the letter still held in her shaking hands, Hermione nods distractedly, starting when Draco clears his throat loudly in order to gain Harry and Hermione's attention. "May I?" Draco asks with a glance at Harry as he holds his hand out for the letter that holds everyone's full attention.

With a signal of consent from Harry, the letter is handed over to Draco who skims down the first page quickly. "Read it aloud, will you Dray?" Harry asks.

"'_Dear Mr. Potter,'_" Draco begins, clearing his throat quickly as the others present fall silent so as to hear what has been said, "_'I apologise for not revealing my identity to you at this time but cannot do so lest Albus discover that I am in contact with you. I thought it prudent that you learn some details about your bank account and such as you have now come into an age where you are allowed to run your own finances from the trust fund your parents left to you. As you may already know, Albus is the guardian of your account and is therefore in possession of a second key to your account as well as the power to determine who can access your account and how much can be taken, until you choose to block them. Although this may not seem to be much of a problem at the moment, you will find that Albus is not as good and kind as he seems. I apologise for being the bearer of this news, but I believe that it would be in your best interests to take control of your account and to hire someone to assist you in keeping watch over it. I believe that, should you wish to keep these matters within your own group of friends, Ms. Granger, Mr. Zabini or Mr. Snape would be well suited to assist you in these decisions. I hope to be in touch. Best of luck.'_ Should I continue?" Draco asks, once the letter ends and Harry gets to his feet.

"No," He responds, taking the letter back and placing it into his robe pockets. "I'll just summarise it from here, thanks." Glancing at his friends and Professor, Harry begins, "The first attached page is from my account at Gringotts, and it lists some basic details about my account, including the fact that Albus Dumbledore is the guardian of my account. This page also shows that the account I have access to is not the main account but is, in fact, a trust fund which the main account feeds into. The main account cannot be opened until I come of age as a wizard.

The second page is a list of who has access to the account, including the dates that they were given permission to access my account. The only ones added before my parents death, besides family, was Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Albus Dumbledore and, surprisingly, Severus Snape." Glancing at Snape curiously, Harry receives a smirk as Snape prepares to explain the reason that he had been given access to Harry's account,

"Before your mother's death she gave me access to the Potter accounts to provide for you in the event that your Aunt couldn't or, as Lily feared, wouldn't take care of you. As your only blood relative, your Aunt has guardianship of you first and foremost. But magical guardianship of you has been given to Sirius Black who obviously couldn't have you as he was in Azkaban and myself. Remus Lupin was also listed although the Ministry would not allow him to look after you as he's a werewolf, nor would they allow me to take care of you due to my position as spy." Snape glances at Harry, who nods distracted before continuing,

"Although James trusted in Albus completely, your mother had a great deal more intelligence and refused to leave you in his hands alone. Lily was always a wonderful friend to me and I have never desired to betray her, therefore I have never accessed your account, although it is possible I should have kept a closer eye on it…" Trailing off, Snape glances at Harry as he looks at the letter in his hands.

"I never realised that you and mum were so close…" Harry murmurs before returning to the task at hand, "After my parent's death, records show that Dumbledore added his brother, Aberforth, to the account- although he has never touched it; and all of the members of the Order of Phoenix, although they have never actually touched my account purposefully. Dumbledore, on the other hand, has been taking reasonably large amounts of money from my account regularly since three months after my parent's death…

Dumbledore also attached my account to that of the Order, therefore ensuring that any money the Order uses is drawn from both the Order's account and mine. No one in the order would know, unfortunately, as the money would appear to be taken from their account and their account alone. A record of deposits into his account is also here… he was taking money out of my account and splitting it between the Order and himself…" Snape seems to be shocked into silence at these revelations, as are the others with the exception of Hermione.

"Well," Hermione begins positively, "At least he couldn't access your main account."

"Yeah," Agrees Blaise, "And now you know so you can block him from your account. Your old enough, the only thing you need to worry about is getting to Diagon Alley to sign all of the papers and stuff. Then Hermione and I can keep an eye on your account for you- I wouldn't trust those goblins as far as I could throw them!"

"And how is he going to get to Diagon Alley?" Theo asks before his eyes settle on his the Professor, "Unless Professor Snape can take you when he goes to get more potions ingredients on Saturday?"

"Then we can all go!" Daphne adds as Snape rolls his eyes, exasperated.

"And how are we going to explain me taking six students to Diagon Alley with me when I am only going to get some potions ingredients?" Snape's lazy drawl seems to put a damper on Daphne's mood as she slumps slightly in her chair, her disappointment obvious.

"Advanced potions class?" Draco suggested, looking at his godfather with a smirk, "You're testing us to see if we know what ingredients to buy if we wanted to make Veritaserum or something?"

"Why not take you to the Apothecary in Hogsmeade?" Snape retorts and Draco stops for a second before smirking,

"Easy, because you're already going to Diagon Alley and you want to make sure we don't actually buy the wrong ingredients." A smirk gracing his features, Snape nods his approval before turning to Harry.

"Well, Potter? This Saturday the six of us will go to Gringotts."

"Thank you, Professor Snape." Harry responds with a smile as Snape chuckles evilly, he can't wait to see Dumbledore's Golden Boy cut him off; it is, after all, the damn fool's fault- meddling in everyone's lives so much.

"You're welcome, Potter. I just can't wait to see Dumbledore's face when he finds out he's been cut off." Snape smirks, before noticing how late it is. "You six had better leave now, it's past curfew. If Filch or McGonagall catches you, inform them that you just completed a detention with me; go straight to your common rooms." Ushering them out of the classroom Severus shuts the door behind them before deciding to go to his private rooms. Muttering under his breath as he locks the Potions classroom; Severus Snape wonders who the anonymous writer is…

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After gaining permission from Albus to take the children to Diagon Alley with him, Severus sits at the Head Table in the Great Hall, glaring at all the students eating so loudly. Dumbledore is sitting next to Minerva telling him how he's so proud of Severus, taking Harry and his friends to Diagon Alley with him today. At this discovery, Minerva promptly chokes on her toast in disbelieve and Albus pats her on the back as Severus smirks from his spot a few places down. 

Owls begin to flock into the room, delivering the mail and Snape watched disinterestedly as students and teachers alike receive their mail. It is then that he notices a blue-black raven sitting in front of him on the table, a letter resting in front of it with the words _Severus Snape_ written on the front. Immediately recognising the beautiful, delicate calligraphy as the same writing that had been on Harry's first letter he looks around noticing in shock when … crows enter the room, landing in front of Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Neville Longbottom and Harry Potter. Another raven has landed in front of Lupin, who looks at the letter and bird in amazement.

Suddenly a golden eagle flies into the room, dropping a note in front of Severus as the school watches on in amazement. This note, already open, simply says, _'Do not read the letters here. Gather the others and find a place alone. Albus is not to read the notes.'_

Standing, Severus sweeps over to Remus Lupin just as he is about to open the note. "Don't. Not here." He growls as he heads towards the Great Hall exit, Hermione and Harry grab Neville as Draco, Blaise, Theo and Daphne follow behind them.

Leading the way out the front doors of Hogwarts, Severus strides over to the lake before sitting on a bench which he had transfigured out of a twig. Creating a few more benches for those who have not yet arrived, Severus glances up as Narcissa leaves the castle and spots them, walking over with Remus, Narcissa carries the same letter as the others and Severus glances at it curiously.

When everyone has been seated, Narcissa looks at Severus, "Do you know who sent these letters? I was just about to open the letter when this eagle flew into my room and gave me a note telling me to read the letter outside with my son!"

Remus looks over to Narcissa before turning to Severus once more, "Why did you tell me not to read the letter inside, Severus? What does it matter?"

"Moony, we weren't meant to read them where other people could see," Harry responds with a smile, "I got one of these letters Thursday, whoever wrote it told me some stuff about my account at Gringotts. Important stuff."

"What stuff, Harry?" Remus responds quickly, his concern for Harry over-ruling his curiosity as his blue eyes search Harry's green ones for an answer. "What did it say? Is everything alright?"

Nodding, Harry smiles and looks Remus in the eye steadily, "They told me that Dumbledore has been using money from my account for things other then school fees. They sent me the evidence," Reaching into his pocket, Harry pulls out the letter and hands it to Lupin, "We're going to Diagon Alley today so I can go to Gringotts, check the information and take control of my account, blocking Dumbledore."

Reading over the letter and evidence, Remus' eyes widen before he looks at Severus, "Who is sending these then?"

"I don't know," Severus responds, "But the seal gives me an idea that it's someone very powerful." With this Neville, Narcissa and Remus turn their letters over, gasping at the seal that has been used.

"The missing seal of the Founders…" Narcissa murmurs in shock and Neville adds,

"I thought that was only a myth!"

"Everyone thought it was," Remus responds, "I guess we know the truth." Watching the four animals interacting, a smile crosses his lips as the eagle catches the snake, placing it next to the badger and lion before landing as well.

"Should we tell Albus?" Narcissa asks, "After all, what if this is just a trick?" Severus shakes his head, about to answer when Draco decides to answer for him,

"We can't, mum. Whoever it is, they don't want Dumbledore to find them. Plus, if Dumbledore's been stealing from Harry, how do we know that we can trust him?"

Nodding in agreement, Severus reminds everyone, "We've already opened a letter and nothing bad happened! But if it will make you feel better, we can open the letters one by one."

"I'll go first!" Hermione states as she carefully breaks the seal of the founders and opens the letter. Reading the letter silently, Hermione's eyes widen slightly and she looks at the others as they watch her carefully. Clearing her throat, Hermione reads her letter aloud, "_'Miss Granger, I would think you should ask your mother for an explanation of your family history. You are not the first witch of her line- you come from a very powerful line and have the right to know your own history. Born to a squib of the Amaelius line, you are the last left of this great family. You are the first in three generations to have any magickal ability and have a position at the Wizengamot that needs to be filled. Do not seek a course of action against Dumbledore as of yet, your plans can wait for the future.'_ That's it." Hermione states as she puts her letter down once more.

"Amaelius?" Narcissa repeats as she glances at Lupin and Snape, "They were once one of the most powerful families, in the same league as the Blacks, Malfoys, Snapes, Potters, Drusus, Simmiones, Civianus' and Farrets…"

"I need to speak to my mother…" Hermione murmurs at this revelation and looks at Harry, "But I wonder how they know all of this…"

"Okay, I'll open my letter now," Draco says as he rips through the seal, unfolding his letter and reading it aloud straight away. "_'Mr Malfoy, one does not need to follow in his father's footsteps to succeed but must carve their own. But when pressured many cave, you have not and have therefore earned the name of Dragon… Can you step forward once more to take control of your own future? You are needed at the Wizengamot, take the place as representative of the Malfoy line or choose someone to do it for you. Choose wisely for this decision can help or hinder the fight that you face in the future. Return the power to those who truly wish to do good- I will know if you attend, as I will be there. Stay strong, Dragon, and watch out for your father today- today you are the head of the Malfoy line, your father has lost his privileges and they fall onto you. Watch your step carefully; it will determine your future.'_" Looking at his mother, Draco smiles, "I guess we don't have to worry about money after all."

The excitement in the group grows and Severus feels a weight ease off his shoulders at the good news that had thus far been revealed. Narcissa opens her letter nervously, reading through it quickly before beginning, "'_Mrs. Malfoy, the Dark Lord searches for you but he will not find you until you are ready to fight- Lucius searches but his eyes are blinded by his hatred and rage. You and your son will be safe at Hogwarts as the school itself deigns to keep you safe; do not, by any means, fear leaving the grounds- until you are ready to take control nothing will harm you. Soon abilities will be unlocked and you will learn the truth of your line- it will be intact once more. Try to turn Bellatrix if you so desire, but the butterfly cannot revert- ensure that you remain on your guard; Andromeda awaits your letter with baited breath and her child, your niece, would like to meet you- mistakes can be forgiven. Take your place at the Wizengamot as the last member of the Black family, do not worry about mistakes, Andromeda will assist you until someone comes to take over from you. Trust in yourself, you are stronger than you realise.'_" Narcissa falls silent for a moment as she contemplates her letter,

"I guess it's time to ask Andromeda for forgiveness… I never thought I'd see her again…" Tears of happiness glitter in Narcissa's blue eyes as she contemplates her reunion with her elder sister.

Smiling, Severus turns to face Neville Longbottom, "Longbottom, your turn." He snaps and Neville, hands shaking opens the letter…

"Pro-Pro-Professor? How do we know that w-w-we can t-trust this person?" Neville asks shakily as he reads over the letter once again.

"We don't, Longbottom. Now, hurry up. We don't have all day!" Snape snaps as Lupin frowns at him.

"Take your time, Neville," Lupin says calmly, "We're in no great rush."

Calming down considerably, Neville takes a deep breath before beginning to read, "_'Mr Longbottom, life sometimes hands us a difficult part to play but we must all trust in our abilities and in fate to follow our own paths to success. Once, you lost something very dear to you- soon, I hope to see it returned to you. A great power flows through your veins, believe in yourself and you can change the world. A new tide turns.'_" Neville glances around at the others self-consciously before turning to Hermione, "I don't understand it- what did I loose?"

"I don't know, Neville." Hermione answers vaguely as she looks at Harry. She obviously has something on her mind, but does not go any further then to reassure him, "Don't worry, Neville, it sounds like it will be something good and I'm sure we'll find out what it is soon. Who's going next?"

"I will," Lupin says as he carefully opens the letter, leaving the seal intact- reading through the letter his eyes widen. "_'Mr. Lupin, I remember the first time we met. The full moon glittered on the Hogwarts Lake as dementors closed in on your friends- you seemed to wish to attack something but followed me when I lead you away, whispering of safety, comfort and food. I told you then as I tell you now: do not resign yourself to an early death, do not resign yourself to pain, do not resign yourself to loneliness as happiness will come again. Freedom is only a breath away, Mr. Lupin.'_"

Looking around at the others, all with equally stunned faces, Lupin glances towards the lake in wonderment. "I don't usually remember things from when I've turned but I can vaguely remember sitting by the lake that night… I had come back here, it was almost dawn and this beautiful black jaguar stalked over to me… Her fur had this slightly reddish tint and her eyes were a blue-green colour… I could understand her… She was an animagus… She stayed with me as I morphed back, after I passed out she wrapped me in a blanket and left. But she left a change of new clothes, a brush, water and food behind..."

The group remains silent for a few minutes before Blaise asks, "Couldn't we check the animagus records then? Maybe she's registered?"

"I doubt it," Snape responds distantly, "Then it'd be easy to find her…"

"Most animagus don't keep their eye colour, do they?" Daphne asks as she shifts herself, leaning more into Theo before becoming still once more.

"No… I've never heard of anyone who could… besides the Founders, that is." Lupin responds and everyone stays silent once more.

Snape picks up his letter, breaks the seal and reads it over quickly, nodding silently. "I'll go before Potter; I'm sure his will be much more interesting then mine." Snape snarls before reading, "_'Mr. Snape, not all has been lost. Blood is not water and water is not blood. There is someone who wishes to meet you, Potions Master, someone other than I. The Mark you bear will fade away and all will become clear- things can be fixed but with these powers comes new responsibilities; you must learn to trust others, forgive them for that which they have no control over. You may hurt but others do too- relax, join forces with those whom you sit with now and your combined power will be above that of your imagination. One can do anything when they have the power. Watch your back today, Potions Master, in the Alley are those you once called brothers- the traitor in their midst, you are in danger. Trust those with you and you will succeed over all.'_"

"'Blood is not water and water is not blood'?" Draco repeated and Narcissa looks up,

"I assume that it's the same as 'blood is thicker than water'?" When no-one replies, Severus shrugs unconcernedly.

"We don't even know who this girl is, why are we worried about what she says? I'm sure we'll find out in due time." Nodding in agreement the group lapse once more into silence.

"I suppose I'd better read my letter now," Harry states as he lifts the letter up, breaking the seal quietly, "Don't want to be late for the Death Eater attack at Diagon Alley. _'Dear Mr. Potter, in the Mirror of Erised you seen what you truly desired- a family. Sometimes what you desire can come true, although not in the ways you expect it to. In life you gain and loose many things- one can also recuperate what they have lost. You can not fight the Slytherin heir on your own, but with the support of others and special training, you will easily win. The Heir of Slytherin will fall, eight will rise and one will find the path home. Hold your group together. You have yet many surprises left in store. Use Dumbledore, but do not yet dispose of him- you will find that he still has his secrets. The prophecy does not end with 'the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…' I hope to see you soon, Mr. Potter.'_"

"The prophecy continues? Or is the last line wrong?" Theo asks as he strokes a hand through Daphne's hair, glancing up at them, Harry shrugs.

"I believe that she means that the prophecy continues… Do you think Dumbledore will tell us?" Hermione asks excitedly and Snape snorts in a derisive manner.

"I doubt it, Miss Granger. Dumbledore is a fool. One wonders if he knows the end of the prophecy!" Glancing at Harry who has been silent since reading the letter, Severus stands quickly, remembering the advice he received. "As it seems that we are supposed to work together I would advise that special allowances be made. In private I believe we should call each other by our first names, it will get rather tedious using 'Professor' and surnames all the time."

A smile crosses Narcissa's face and she nods in agreement, "We should probably also give the children extra lessons, Severus. It shouldn't be hard between you, me and Remus?"

"Sounds fine to me," Remus responds and Severus nods reluctantly.

"Shall we all go to Diagon Alley, then?" Narcissa's question is answered silently when all of the students jump up, brush down their clothes and glance at the adults impatiently.

"Come on, Sev." Draco says, glancing at his godfather happily as they all begin to head towards the Hogwarts gates.

Stumbling into Diagon Alley after using a port-key, the seven students and three adults stand to the side quietly, discussing where everyone needs to go. "Remus, how about Hermione, Blaise and I go with you to Gringotts, that was Blaise and Hermione can have a quick look at my account. Severus, you could go to the Apothecary and Narcissa could take Draco, Daphne, Theo and Neville… where-ever."

"I don't know, Harry." Hermione says, "Remember what Prof… Severus' letter said? There's going to be an attack. We really should stick together."

"I agree with Miss Gran… Hermione, P-Harry. There's no sense in taking needless risks. We have all day."

"Harry, maybe would should just stick together," Neville adds nervously, "There's strength in numbers and all that."

Finally, when everyone has agreed to stick together, the group finally sets off for Gringotts. At Gringotts, the paper-work changing full control of the Potter account to Harry with Hermione, Severus and Remus given permission to check how the account is and Remus permission to use the account if something happened to Harry and he needed the money but couldn't get it himself was completed. Dumbledore and the Order, excluding Severus and Remus, were blocked and Narcissa, Draco, Blaise, Theo, Daphne and Hermione were given access to the account in case of an emergency.

After finishing up in Gringotts, Severus leads the group to the Apothecary, buying extra ingredients to teach the group with and picking up the other ingredients he needed- while Severus was looking at a vial of Dragon's Blood a loud noise occurred out in the Alley. Leaving their purchases in the store, Severus and Remus lead the others outside to find the Death Eaters had attacked.

"Harry, Draco, Hermione… everyone try to stay out of sight. You can still fight, just try to stay hidden as you do so!" Narcissa orders as she ducks behind a shelf just as a stunner hits the spot where she had previously been. Severus and Remus follow Narcissa's example of concealing themselves as they begin to fire curses, jinxes and stunners at the attacking Death Eaters. The students don't take long to join the fight and, with the ten of them fighting the group of ten Death Eaters begin to fall. Suddenly, as if from no-where, Lucius Malfoy steps up behind his son, grasping him around the neck as he forces him to his knees.

"Aveda Ked-"Lucius begins before his wife tackles him to the floor, leaving the curse unfinished as the last few Death Eaters left standing outside disapparate.

"Bastard!" Narcissa shrieks into Lucius' ear as she sits on the middle of his back, "How dare you even think of doing that to my son!" Pointing her wand at Lucius, Narcissa murmurs, _"Petrificus Totalis!"_ A smirk crosses Narcissa's face as she leans towards Lucius and says, _"Furnunculus!" _

Lucius' eyes widen in shock as boils appear, covering his body and he glares at Narcissa as the Aurors begin to arrive. "Traitor." He spits out, "You're a blood traitor, Narcissa! Blood traitor!"

Suddenly, although Lucius still moves his mouth, no sounds escape and Severus, a smirk crossing his face, hoists Lucius to his feet before leading him over to the Aurors who are grouping together the other Death Eaters, stupefied in the street. "Kingsley, will you get rid of this Death Eating scum, find a place he can't escape from?"

Kingsley laughs heartily, "Is there such a place, Severus?"

"I'm sure I could find one for you if the Ministry can't." Severus answers darkly and Kingsley's smile drops slightly at the pure malice shining in Severus' eyes as he glares at Lucius.

"I, ah, better get him back to the Ministry. See you later, Severus."

Turning back to where the others stand, ready to leave, Severus smirks, "I think I scared Kingsley," He murmurs unremorsefully as Narcissa and Remus laugh.

"That wasn't very nice, Severus." Narcissa tries to reprimand, although she cannot seem to keep a straight face.

"You're right, Cissy. But it's not like I meant too," Severus smiles, heading over to the counter to pay for the ingredients he had picked out earlier, "He just seen the look I was giving Lucius."

Placing the ingredients on the counter, the shopkeeper, an older man with dark hair, waves him away. "It's free," He says, "If it wasn't for you guys I'd probably be dead. Thank you." He murmurs with a smile and Severus seems to be speechless for a moment.

"Thank you for the ingredients." He finally responds and the three adults and seven teenagers return to Hogwarts. They had had enough excitement for one day.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Okay readers, I haven't had any response to the name situation, so please! Please, please, please, review! I need a name! Please tell me:

- Khalida?

- Octavia?

- Nicolette?

Which one?

Hopefully will have another chapter up soon, so far- so good.


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